Hi. I am Dr. Henry Black. I am an adjunct Clinical Professor of Medicine at the New York University Langone Medical Center, and former President of the American Society of Hypertension.
As we age and as we get more obese, 2 things happen: more diabetes and more dementia. We are not exactly sure what leads to dementia. There are many causes -- including, predominantly, aging -- but people with diabetes seem to be at particular risk of developing dementia.
We tend to define diabetes by looking at a blood sugar level or a hemoglobin A1c level. The choice is somewhat arbitrary. We take a continuous variable, namely glucose level, and then categorize people as diabetic or not. We used to use the term "prediabetes"; now we talk about impaired glucose tolerance, but it is a somewhat fuzzy definition.
A recent look for the development of dementia in the Puget Sound-Seattle area database revealed some very interesting findings.[1] This analysis was by a group looking at the Seattle area and people who were enrolled in the Adult Changes in Thought study database in 1994-1996, with more added from 2000 to 2002. They did not explain why they split it that way.
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COMMENTARY
High Blood Sugar and Dementia: No Diabetes Needed
Henry R. Black, MD
DisclosuresSeptember 19, 2013
Hi. I am Dr. Henry Black. I am an adjunct Clinical Professor of Medicine at the New York University Langone Medical Center, and former President of the American Society of Hypertension.
As we age and as we get more obese, 2 things happen: more diabetes and more dementia. We are not exactly sure what leads to dementia. There are many causes -- including, predominantly, aging -- but people with diabetes seem to be at particular risk of developing dementia.
We tend to define diabetes by looking at a blood sugar level or a hemoglobin A1c level. The choice is somewhat arbitrary. We take a continuous variable, namely glucose level, and then categorize people as diabetic or not. We used to use the term "prediabetes"; now we talk about impaired glucose tolerance, but it is a somewhat fuzzy definition.
A recent look for the development of dementia in the Puget Sound-Seattle area database revealed some very interesting findings.[1] This analysis was by a group looking at the Seattle area and people who were enrolled in the Adult Changes in Thought study database in 1994-1996, with more added from 2000 to 2002. They did not explain why they split it that way.
Medscape Cardiology © 2013 WebMD, LLC
Cite this: High Blood Sugar and Dementia: No Diabetes Needed - Medscape - Sep 19, 2013.
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Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Author
Henry R. Black, MD
Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine, New York University School of Medicine; Director, Hypertension Research, Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
Disclosure: Henry R. Black, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Served as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant, or trustee for: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, LLC; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Pfizer Inc.; PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; BioSante Pharmaceuticals; SERVIER; XOMA US LLC; Affymax, Inc.; Mitsubishi Received research grant from: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)